The Dark Knight What is Batman Strength level?

[War Lord]

Like Bruce Lee?

Yes, he would be extremely agile, though I don't know what his strength was.

 

[TheJuice]

For Batman to bench 700 pounds, that would probably be just one repetition. I don't see him being able to do more than one rep of that.

 

[War Lord]

For Batman to bench 700 pounds, that would probably be just one repetition. I don't see him being able to do more than one rep of that.

That's what I've been saying. A fast twitch person is capable of incorporating most of his muscle fibers in a single movement, but they tire very quickly.

 

[Shawn Wayne]

I know Batman is no where near spiderman's strength level but what would you say his strength level is and what is the most heaviest thing he have ever lifted comic book/cartoon/movie wise?

I think it's somewhere between a medium pony and a small boy.....

 

[Salemdog]

Well, if you go according to the comics then the closest to Batman/Bruce Wayne physique wise would be this

Steves Reeves at 6"1 1/2 and 215 is pretty close. Now Reeves certainly couldn't bench 700 pds. Though he could press easily in the 300's. Now the improbability shouldn't match the impossibility.

Currently in the 198pd class Marcus Brandon holds the record at 512 while in the 220 class Tony Succarotte is at 635 accoeding to national standards. It must be noted though that a 1st Class James Burnette of the Navy is noted to have set a new world record in the 181-pound weight class Aug. 14 2004 with a bench press of 540 pounds.

The flexibility issue could be called into question though I am reminded of Charles Glass. A former gymnast and now bodybuilding trainer he recalled his first time bench pressing in college on a dare from some members of the football team. They were curious how strong gymnastics made a person. Glass ended up benching 300pds. It was the first time he had touched weights.

 

[War Lord]

Well, if you go according to the comics then the closest to Batman/Bruce Wayne physique wise would be this

Steves Reeves at 6"1 1/2 and 215 is pretty close. Now Reeves certainly couldn't bench 700 pds. Though he could press easily in the 300's. Now the improbability shouldn't match the impossibility.

Currently in the 198pd class Marcus Brandon holds the record at 512 while in the 220 class Tony Succarotte is at 635 accoeding to national standards. It must be noted though that a 1st Class James Burnette of the Navy is noted to have set a new world record in the 181-pound weight class Aug. 14 2004 with a bench press of 540 pounds.

The flexibility issue could be called into question though I am reminded of Charles Glass. A former gymnast and now bodybuilding trainer he recalled his first time bench pressing in college on a dare from some members of the football team. They were curious how strong gymnastics made a person. Glass ended up benching 300pds. It was the first time he had touched weights.

Gymnists, who don't work with weights, only work with their body, so there's a built in limitation as to how strong they can get.

It's a myth that weight training inhibits flexibility. Many Body Builders are as flexible as gymnists.

 

[Kritish]

Like boyscouT said, about as much as the best real human can.

 

[antmanx68]

Gymnists, who don't work with weights, only work with their body, so there's a built in limitation as to how strong they can get.

It's a myth that weight training inhibits flexibility. Many Body Builders are as flexible as gymnists.

it doesnt inhibit flexibility... but there is such a thing as being "muscle-bound"? It means that when you get all big like that you just cant do certain things with your body that a normal person could because there is muscle in the way (particularly how you can bend your arms, reach behind your own back, etc). People who bench over 700 pounds are muscle bounc (and usually pretty fat too). Over 700 pounds is just a lot, you can say "its just a comic book" if you want, but one of Batman's selling points has always been as strong AND fast "as humanly possible". Human being the key here, just because he exists in a world with magic, lazarus pits, costumed freaks, and aliens with God-Like powers doesnt change that... its the rules set up by the comic itself.

 

[blueboy]

i bet batman couldn't bench more than me

 

[War Lord]

it doesnt inhibit flexibility... but there is such a thing as being "muscle-bound"? It means that when you get all big like that you just cant do certain things with your body that a normal person could because there is muscle in the way (particularly how you can bend your arms, reach behind your own back, etc). People who bench over 700 pounds are muscle bounc (and usually pretty fat too). Over 700 pounds is just a lot, you can say "its just a comic book" if you want, but one of Batman's selling points has always been as strong AND fast "as humanly possible". Human being the key here, just because he exists in a world with magic, lazarus pits, costumed freaks, and aliens with God-Like powers doesnt change that... its the rules set up by the comic itself.

You should really take a couple of fitness courses before you speak, because it's clear that you don't know what you're talking about. Quit listening to your fellow know-nothings for false information and become well informed.

1. Having muscles doesn't make you muscle-bound, it makes you move better and a proper weight-training program makes you more flexible because you're doing complete movements while pushing weights. Many people might seem "muscle-bound", but that's because too many people confuse lifting as much weight as possible for limited movements as being better than lesser weights, but complete movements.

http://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding_60/83_fitness_tip.html

2. Power lifters and Olympic weight-lifters, on average, aren't fat. They often are around 12% body fat or so, that's below average, fat-wise, by today's standards. The reason why they look fat is because their training requires them to exercise large muscle groups to get the most strength.

3. How much you can bench is dependent on many factors, including your muscle composition, size, health, age and other factors. Somebody who's muscles have a lot of fast-twitch fibre will be far stronger than average because they are able to incorporate more muscle fibres into a movement than somebody with more slow-twitch fibres. So while a fast-twitch person is stronger, he doesn't have as much endurance as slow-twitch persons. This is why two people, same size and weight and musculature, can differ in how much they lift and for how long they can lift. On the extreme end of being fast-twitch, a person is capable of lifting upwards of 3 and a half times their weight, but usually only once.

Since it can be assumed that Batman is on the very extreme of being fast-twitch, he would suffer a lack of muscular endurance if he were pushing himself to the extreme all the time. However, since his modus operandi is skulking and surprising, he doesn't really need muscular endurance, because he's strong enough that anything he does doesn't really tax his abilities very often

One more point, though his endurance would be his weak point, he'd still probably have better than average because of his fitness level.

 

[War Lord]

i bet batman couldn't bench more than me

When I read his comic, I'm lifting several Batmans at once, so I kick ass.

 

[mano012sg]

Guys, First lemme let you know that our dear Micheal Jordan himself can leg-press 1000lbs. it IS in some old magazine. So let me add that for Bat's to be an all round athlete, and for the gradual physical conditioning benching 700+lbs would be measely like his daily touch up, not his max. There was this animated series episode where he was mad enough to rip the entire portion of the left of his batcomputer off the floor in the batcave, coz he was pissed with something, the episode was such.

But let me share something else with you guys. most people who put batman's profile up, have little clue as to how truly fit true athletes can become. We are not talking about Olympic records here--its just the beginning, we are talking about world-class athletes and the kind you see on Ripleys or those fantastic feats who see in the guinness records or shaolin monks. These are real humans, with normal restrictions of daily life balance.

Bruce who is supposed to be the best trained athlete and martial artist....would be a lot more powerful than he's potrayed to be. Unfortunately, his history of training prowness and the skills he brings onto the crime fighting scene are not in sync. I am referring to the best of the shows: BatmanTAS and The Batman animated series.

Bat's and all comic/anime characters have the great luck of being able to be precisely dedicated and perfectly managed in their exercises, that is ideally progress without muscle and bone problems+mistakes athletes make to screw themselves up. *Besides people who are very into martial arts and chi kung will understand the possibilites that I am about to highlight:

So Guys & gals: Bruce Wayne who is supposed to be the best trained athlete and martial artist....would be a lot more powerful than he's potrayed to be.

With such obsession, and such skill at martial arts and athletics and techincal gadgetry, He should be much more powerful than he is potrayed to be. If anyone of you guys watched Japanese anime or know about real martial arts esp: ninjutsu, taichi and wingchun kung fu, with that kinda training he would be:

**Check these anime on the web--very popular
a. half as powerful as the ninku [a jap anime] characters (minus the chi powers)

b. half as powerful as kenshin/battousai of Samurai X

c. at least > 30% of Master Hiko Seijuro of Samurai X

d. 50% of a chi kung master in channelling and projecting his chi --
Hence avoiding bullets and all like Battousai (& like aikido grandmaster Morhei Ushieba)+ limited levitation and flight like david copperfield (without the cape), propel himself in midair like they show the samurai x characters do. Lifting Cars and Pulling Lorries and stuff like the masters do.

e. 2x or more powerful than Bruce Lee + taking on Multiple opponents wingchun masters do that without moving much u noe), no matter how difficult (with taichi incorporated).

f. with ninjutsu skills (justified as he works well in the special skills aspects) but 3x more refined than what he's potrayed as in even BatmanTAS.

g. with a-g + learning from the top athletes, should be much smoother in his moves than he is.

h. With a&d&e&f&g, perform at least limited versions of ninku skills of
jumping& gliding and using air-pressure and stuff as weapons, before
the aid of his tools. he should be a limited version of nightwing's glider suit gliding capabilities -- before he(bats) opens his bat-cape glider.

i. Given all of these he will be able to channel his chi to be almost superhuman (u noe all those ripley's feats?). He would be almost an equal challenge one-to-one to spiderman and daredevil. He wouldn't be struggling to keep up with superman to that point as seen in the animated series. True, superman is powerful. But Batman will be struggling much less to keep up, coz he's as powerful as 30% of Hiko Seijuro and just as functional.

In short, He will be more more powerful and capable, than what he is potrayed to be. So guys, either take a good look at his qualifications he revamp it to suit his abilities&history or reinvent his missions in the comics, to suit his perceived training.

[*am not trying to show off or anything but I personally experiment with various martial arts (soft&hard) and styles of physical exercises for many years now, so that's why I feel qualified to talk liberally about chi and stuff]

 

[mano012sg]

Bruce Lee's feats: look under "Bruce Lee: the Philosophy of a human being" for those who don't know what he can do.

 

[mano012sg]

Bruce Lee's feats: look under "Bruce Lee: the Philosophy of a human being" for those who don't know what he can do.

 

[mano012sg]

Originally Posted by boyscouT
FOUND IT....

' He may bench press approximately 725 pounds and is the near-equal or equal of the world's best athlete in any Olympic event.'

from...

http://www.starnet-database.com/dbas...an/batman.html

This is just what I mean: the 725Lbs was put in as an assumption. There are people today who can lift cars weighing almost a ton or 1000lbs. Bat's with his exposure to every super villian like croc and superman gone bad, would have to have this strength (1000 lbs) as part of his daily quick start routine, not something he overly sweats over!

 

[user123456789]

Bruce Lee's feats: look under "Bruce Lee: the Philosophy of a human being" for those who don't know what he can do.

i'll take a look

edit: wow this freaks me out!

For a party trick Bruce would place a dime in a participant's upturned palm and told them that he would try to pick the dime out of their palm before they could close their hand. So with the unsuspecting participant ready Bruce's fingers were poised above the upturned palm, then within a flash Bruce would snatch - it would seem Bruce was too slow with the smiling participant with closed hand thinking that they still had the dime within it. But to the participant's amazement Bruce was successful - upon opening their hand they were stunned to find Bruce had grabbed the dime, but even more amazing was that he left a penny in it's place.

 

[antmanx68]

You should really take a couple of fitness courses before you speak, because it's clear that you don't know what you're talking about. Quit listening to your fellow know-nothings for false information and become well informed.

1. Having muscles doesn't make you muscle-bound, it makes you move better and a proper weight-training program makes you more flexible because you're doing complete movements while pushing weights. Many people might seem "muscle-bound", but that's because too many people confuse lifting as much weight as possible for limited movements as being better than lesser weights, but complete movements.

http://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding_60/83_fitness_tip.html

2. Power lifters and Olympic weight-lifters, on average, aren't fat. They often are around 12% body fat or so, that's below average, fat-wise, by today's standards. The reason why they look fat is because their training requires them to exercise large muscle groups to get the most strength.

3. How much you can bench is dependent on many factors, including your muscle composition, size, health, age and other factors. Somebody who's muscles have a lot of fast-twitch fibre will be far stronger than average because they are able to incorporate more muscle fibres into a movement than somebody with more slow-twitch fibres. So while a fast-twitch person is stronger, he doesn't have as much endurance as slow-twitch persons. This is why two people, same size and weight and musculature, can differ in how much they lift and for how long they can lift. On the extreme end of being fast-twitch, a person is capable of lifting upwards of 3 and a half times their weight, but usually only once.

Since it can be assumed that Batman is on the very extreme of being fast-twitch, he would suffer a lack of muscular endurance if he were pushing himself to the extreme all the time. However, since his modus operandi is skulking and surprising, he doesn't really need muscular endurance, because he's strong enough that anything he does doesn't really tax his abilities very often

One more point, though his endurance would be his weak point, he'd still probably have better than average because of his fitness level.

not even going to read all that. If you'd like to know, I took 1 purely strength related fitness courses before I graduated with my bachelors, I work out hard, I bench over 300 pounds and lift about 5 times a week if that matters at all.. You dont need to be telling me anything, let alone calling me "a know nothing" or "uninformed"

My point was that people who can bench over 700 pounds are usually big, bulky, carrying a ton of weight, and yes often times they're fat, guess you missed that. You're entire #1 is a big "Duh?!" statement to me. Ask youself: You see any guys who fit Bruce Wayne's height and weight that can bench near 700 pounds? Or move with any kind of speed and agility. If you have i'd like to know about it. And are you trying to say there's no such thing as being muscle bound? What about people who cant put their arms at there sides because their lats are just too big, or who need to be arrested with 2 pairs of hancuffs becuase their muscle mass simply doesnt allow their arms behind their backs? That kind of size is pretty common with people who bench over 700 pounds. But i guess being a "know something" you already knew all that.

 

[user123456789]

not even going to read all that. If you'd like to know, I took 1 purely strength related fitness courses before I graduated with my bachelors, I work out hard, I bench over 300 pounds and lift about 5 times a week if that matters at all.. You dont need to be telling me anything, let alone calling me "a know nothing" or "uninformed"

My point was that people who can bench over 700 pounds are usually big, bulky, carrying a ton of weight, and yes often times they're fat, guess you missed that. You're entire #1 is a big "Duh?!" statement to me. Ask youself: You see any guys who fit Bruce Wayne's height and weight that can bench near 700 pounds? Or move with any kind of speed and agility. If you have i'd like to know about it. And are you trying to say there's no such thing as being muscle bound? What about people who cant put their arms at there sides because their lats are just too big, or who need to be arrested with 2 pairs of hancuffs becuase their muscle mass simply doesnt allow their arms behind their backs? That kind of size is pretty common with people who bench over 700 pounds. But i guess being a "know something" you already knew all that.

this whole debate would be solved if bruce lee wasn't asian. had he been any other race, he could have arguably become a real life batman.

 

[antmanx68]

Agreed. But he'd have to bench 725

He was the man though.

 

[DorkyFresh]

"What is Batman's strength level?"

It's a strength level high enough to be able to lift up a six foot four dude weighing over 200 lbs while hanging over a cliff. He did it with one arm, none the less...

 

[Jacobhiggins]

Batman is a normal human being in peak condition. He isn't a body builder and he isn't the most strongest man in the world. He is far less physically powerful then ALOT of other superheroes!

 

[War Lord]

not even going to read all that. If you'd like to know, I took 1 purely strength related fitness courses before I graduated with my bachelors, I work out hard, I bench over 300 pounds and lift about 5 times a week if that matters at all.. You dont need to be telling me anything, let alone calling me "a know nothing" or "uninformed"

My point was that people who can bench over 700 pounds are usually big, bulky, carrying a ton of weight, and yes often times they're fat, guess you missed that. You're entire #1 is a big "Duh?!" statement to me. Ask youself: You see any guys who fit Bruce Wayne's height and weight that can bench near 700 pounds? Or move with any kind of speed and agility. If you have i'd like to know about it. And are you trying to say there's no such thing as being muscle bound? What about people who cant put their arms at there sides because their lats are just too big, or who need to be arrested with 2 pairs of hancuffs becuase their muscle mass simply doesnt allow their arms behind their backs? That kind of size is pretty common with people who bench over 700 pounds. But i guess being a "know something" you already knew all that.

You're missing the fact that if he has a lot of power, he wouldn't necessarily need the mass. Most powerlifters have a lot of strength, but not necessarily the power. This is why they tend to be monsters of people.

You should look up some of the old time body builders, Franco Columbo or Bill Pearl or others. They were able to bench 500 lbs+, but they weren't massive like power lifters, because they had a lot of power.

 

[Salemdog]

You're missing the fact that if he has a lot of power, he wouldn't necessarily need the mass. Most powerlifters have a lot of strength, but not necessarily the power. This is why they tend to be monsters of people.

You should look up some of the old time body builders, Franco Columbo or Bill Pearl or others. They were able to bench 500 lbs+, but they weren't massive like power lifters, because they had a lot of power.

I have to disagree..Franco and Pearl both were very massive for their realitive sizes. And Franco was a known strong man. From a boxer to bodybuilder and blowing up hot water bottles for fun. At the time it was said he was pound for pound the strongest man in the world.

To me this is massive

Especially considering he was 5'4"

And Pearl?

Basically speaking at 215 and 6'2 it is impratical for anyone to be able to bench 700 pounds, much less even 500. And to say Batman lacks certain endurance levels considering his nightly regimen is a bit much as well. The climbing, swinging, fighting, running, etc. would require endurance in large doses.

I truly believe it is safe to say that those writers of the comics didn't understand human conditioning. If the even dropped the press to 400 it would be just as impressive on any standpoint if you look at the overall standards in the world. 90% of the people on this planet can't bench their own bodyweight. To bench twice as much is a true achievement on any level.

 

[War Lord]

I have to disagree..Franco and Pearl both were very massive for their realitive sizes. And Franco was a known strong man. From a boxer to bodybuilder and blowing up hot water bottles for fun. At the time it was said he was pound for pound the strongest man in the world.

To me this is massive

Especially considering he was 5'4"

And Pearl?

Basically speaking at 215 and 6'2 it is impratical for anyone to be able to bench 700 pounds, much less even 500. And to say Batman lacks certain endurance levels considering his nightly regimen is a bit much as well. The climbing, swinging, fighting, running, etc. would require endurance in large doses.

I truly believe it is safe to say that those writers of the comics didn't understand human conditioning. If the even dropped the press to 400 it would be just as impressive on any standpoint if you look at the overall standards in the world. 90% of the people on this planet can't bench their own bodyweight. To bench twice as much is a true achievement on any level.

My point is that neither man is "muscle bound".

That doesn't remove the fact that Batman could conceivably (as far as comics are concerned) do what he does if he has the right physiology, meaning lots of power and strength.

I already mentioned that where Batman would be weak is endurance, but that doesn't mean that he wouldn't have any. It just means that he couldn't run any marathons, which aren't required for what he does. He might have to run two or three miles, but the rest of the time is spent skulking, sneaking, and attacking.

 

[War Lord]

I do agree that his weight should be adjusted to 230 lbs or so because that's how he's drawn anyway.